Freeway Faceoff: Counter moves up to the Los Angeles Kings going into Game 5

The Kings' Anze Kopitar #11 looks for an opening as the Ducks' Cam Fowler #4 defends during their Stanley Cup Playoff game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Saturday May 10, 2014. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick #32 lays on the ice after the Ducks' Ryan Getzlaf #15 scored a first period goal during their Stanley Cup Playoff game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Saturday May 10, 2014. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

Now what? What do the Kings do to combat the Ducks’ adjustments and tweaks and gamesmanship as their increasingly compelling second-round playoff series continues with Game 5 tonight at the Honda Center?

It would seem the next move is the Kings’ to make.

The Kings won the first two games of the best-of-7 series at Honda Center, then lost the next two at Staples Center. The Ducks didn’t have much puck luck in Games 1 and 2, but had plenty of it for Games 3 and 4. Now the series is a simple best-of-3.

The biggest, boldest, brassiest move of the series was Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau’s switch in goaltenders, from veteran Jonas Hiller to 20-year-old rookie John Gibson for Game 4. Gibson blanked the Kings on 28 shots in a 2-0 victory in his playoff debut and only his fourth NHL game.

Unlike the last two games, when Boudreau played a few mind games on the Kings with his goalie choice, he made it clear Sunday that Gibson would be the starter for Game 5. Boudreau simply came out and told reporters after the team’s workout at Honda Center.

“You might be at risk, but I don’t know,” Boudreau said Sunday of starting Gibson in Game 4 and returning to him for Game 5. “I got to do what I think is right to win. If that’s not right and I start doing stuff that I’m thinking other people are going to want me to do … then you’re not doing the job … I’m just going to go by the way I feel. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, back to the drawing board.”

It’s uncertain how the Kings can counter the Ducks’ goalie move, except to study more video on Gibson and then put more bodies in front of him for Game 5 in the time-honored hockey theory that a goalie cannot stop what he cannot see.

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No question, the Kings controlled play for the better part of the final 40 minutes of Game 4, but they lobbed all manner of perimeter shots at Gibson and he handled them easily. Quality scoring chances were few and far between as the Ducks kept the Kings from entering the prime shooting areas.

“We need to do more to get to him, obviously,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “We gave him too many easy shots and we didn’t crash the net and get people in front of him. He played good, but we’ve got to do a better job.”

The Kings also need to tighten up defensively, especially on the penalty kill. It seemed only a matter of time before the Ducks’ power play began to click. It didn’t happen often enough during the regular season, but it sure has been a weapon during the last three games.

The Ducks have scored four power-play goals in their last nine chances over the last three games, pushing their success rate for the playoffs to 11 for 39 (28.2 percent) in 10 games. The Kings’ penalty kill has given up eight goals in 45 chances (82.2 percent).

What’s more, there were signs in the last two games that the Kings desperately missed injured defensemen Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regehr. Mitchell was hurt in the Kings’ first-round series against the San Jose Sharks and Regehr was injured in Game 1 against the Ducks.

“Obviously, we miss those two players in that situation, because that’s kind of their game,” Doughty said. “That’s exactly what they’re there for. At the same time, we have guys who can step up and play in those spots, and we’re fully confident in our penalty kill.

“It just hasn’t been up to par lately and we need to get that back on track.”